Final leg of Tembea Kenya series heads to Eldoret

The inaugural Kenya Tourism Board’s Tembea Kenya Golf Series reaches its climax this weekend at the nine-hole Eldoret Golf Club course after six thrilling rounds of action.

Over 100 golfers from the North Rift region are drawn for this weekend’s grand finale whose preliminary events were staged at Limuru, Nyali, Nakuru, Nyanza, Sigona and Vet Lab last weekend. Handicap 22 Mukesh Bector emerged the winneron 42 points.

Eldoret Golf Club resident professional Boniface Simwa, says the course is in a good shape despite the shortage of rains.
“We have been having rain shortage this time round, but the course is still in great condition,” said Simwa.

The pro believes that junior players who have been in a brilliant format the club could carry the day going by the recent results though they are likely to face a stiff opposition from the seasoned players.

Some of the top junior expected to spice up the event include13-year-old Deer Aggrawal who is currently playing off handicapnine and is the best lady player at the club at the moment.

Others are Rawal Aggrawal, Kavi Shah, Prabh Lochb and A.S Gujral.

CHUMO TO COMPETE

Top lady golfer Esther Chumo will also be among the players to watch at the day-long event.

Down at the Coast, 66 players, mostly Nyali Golf and Country Club members, will be battling it out for a number of prizes in the Nyali Open Corporate Day, a curtain riser for the weekend’s 54-hole Nyali Open Championship, the grand finale of the 2014 Golfer Of The Year (Goty) series.

The event will follow the second round of the professionals who will be battling it out to make the second round cut in the Sh1 million event where the pros have been included this year courtesy of the sponsors NIC Bank, Mitchell Cotts, ICEA-Lion Insurance and Mombasa Continental Resort.

The Opening round was still on at the time of writing. The main championship for Kenya’s leading amateurs is set for tomorrow where they will play two rounds in the morning and afternoon.

Limuru Country Club’s John Karichu leads the field of 40 elite golfers for the Goty points and a place in next year’s Kenya Open.

The heat, fast and quick greens coupled by the late afternoon wind contributed to the rather poor scores for the professionals as the 2014 Kenya Open golf championship pro event got under way at the par 71 Nyali Golf and Country Club course where a level par was the opening round’s best score.

“The greens were amazing fast and made it difficult for one to make birdies,’’ said Eldoret Golf Club’s Boniface Simwa who shared the with Vet Lab’s Brian Njoroge on level par 71.

Simwa made birdies at the first, fifth as well as at the eighth but dropped shots at the third, and ninth, but the 11th but bogeyed the 13th, and 15th missed a birdie at the 17th.

NJOROGE DROPPED SHOTS

“With all those birdies, one would be comfortably on three or so under par save for the three putting,’’ added Simwa. Njoroge birdied the second, seventh, 12th, and dropped shots at the first, a double-bogey at the 14th.

Royal Nairobi’s David Wakhu was a shot behind the two leaders on one over par 72 as Eric Ooko and David Odhiambo tied on two over par 73.

A total of 38 professionals including eight from Tanzania turned up for the 72- hole championship being supported by NIC Bank, ICEA-Lion Insurance, Mitchell Cotts and Mombasa Continental Resort who have put together a million shillings as prize money for the pros to play for.

The second round of the pros from where only the top 18 will proceed to the last two rounds at the weekend gets under way from 8am Friday.